lewis



-tical section of the same.

UNITED STATES PATENT anion.

ROBERT B. LEWIS, OF HALLOWELL, MAINE, ASSIGNOR TO JOHN H. STEVENS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

MACHINE FOR CLEANING AND DRYING FEATHERS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 1,655, dated June 27, 1840.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ROBERT BENJAMIN LEWIS, of Hallowell, in the county of Kennebec and State of Maine, have invented, made, and applied to use certain new and useful improvements in the arrangement and combination of mechanical means for the dusting, cleansing, and drying of feathers by steam and steam heat, which means are alike available for dressing over old feathers or for preparing new feathers for any domestic purposes, and for which improvements I seek Letters Patent of the United States, and that the said improvements and the mode of constructing and using the same are fully and substantially set forth and shown in the following description and in the drawings annexed to and making a part of this specification, wherein- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine ready to attach the steam pipe and power for use. This consists of a principal fixed cylinder and an interior revolving perforated cylinder and auxiliary ipes and parts. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitu inal section of the principal cylinder and interior steam pipes and other parts. Fig. 6 is a vertical cross-section of the same. Fig. 5 is a plan of the interior revolving perforated cylinder and its appendages, and Fig. 7 is a ver- The other figures are consecutively referred to hereafter and the same letters as marks of reference apply to the same parts in all the several figures.

A. is the principal frame carrying the machine. B. is a shifting frame at the working end. C. is the principal or exterior metal cylinder. D. is a shifting end to the outer cylinder with a flap door 71 at the upper art. This end is held in place when in use by latches h h h. These parts are shown detached in Fig. 3.

loaded to any convenient pressure but is not shown in the drawing; a double ended curved cock m allows the steam to pass from the pipes into the main cylinder or shuts it off and a cock at is placed to draw off the water of condensation from the pipes, and

a cock 0, is placed to draw off the water of condensation and any dirt from the outer cylinder, these parts are severally shown in the Figs. 1, 2, 4, and 6. A shaft a passes through the centers of the ends of the main cylinder and carries on it an interior revolving metal cylinder E, perforated all over with holes to admit the steam and allow the dust and dirt and water of condensation to escape below, and to facilitate the withdrawing this cylinder when it is to be filled with feathers or to enter it into place for use apair of slide ways p are fitted into the main cylinder as shown in Figs. 2 and 6, these receive a square frame 6, which surrounds the cylinder E, and has at each end a hollow serving as a bearing to receive the shaft (4 as shown in Figs. 5 and 9.

c, is a door on the cylinder E, to enter and withdraw the feathers. At the front end is a flap door d to facilitate the'examining of the feathers when cleaning and allow of cleaning the cylinder when needful. Inside of the cylinder on the shaft a, a set of wide longitudinal ribs 6 serve the purpose of agitators to separate and tumble the feathers, these parts are all severally shown in the Figs. 5, 7, and 9. A crank handle f on the shaft a, or a drum or pulley communicates rotary motion to the inner cylinder when acted on by any sufficient power.

' When thus prepared and fitted this machine is to be used as follows: The shifting frame B, is to be drawn off the ten ons on the ends of the main frame A, and carried back with the shifting end D, of the main cylinder and the interior revolving cylinder E, and frame 5 until access can be hadto the door 0 in this situation the frame B, and slide frame 6 will support the shaft a and shifting end D and cylinder E, until the feathers are put in and the door 0 fastened the whole is then to be put back into the main cylinder and the latches h on the shifting end D, secured. Rotary motion is now to be given to the interior cylinder which will separate and dust the feathers and any dust or dirt will fall through the holes or perforations. At the same time steam is to be admitted into the pipes g, 9 by the pipe or aperture Z, and when the feathers are somewhat dusted and separated steam is to be admitted into the cylinder C, by the cock m, this will operate to destroy any offensive smell or insects, and further cleanse the feathers. The-cock 0 being opened allows the steam to force out the water of condensation and dirt that collects in the lower" port of the main cylinder.

shut and the flap door a in the shifting end D, is tobe opened thiswillallow the steam in the cylinder toesoape and when this is gone off the door a is to be partly 'shut and the rotary motion of the cylinder E, is to be continued until no steam escapes from the feathers when they will be sufiiciently dried and may be removed by withdrawing the cylinder E as before described and turning the door'z','downward to open it and allow the'feathers to be taken out, then turn the door upward andrepeat theroperation with other feathers. l 7 What I claim as new and of my own invention is:

1. The combination of the horizontal steam pipes g and circular steam pipes 9 with the cylinder C, and with the means of letting the steam into the cylinder C through When the feathers are steamed enough, the cock m 'is to bethe pipes and the cock m "and shutting off the same when used for cleansing and dry ing feathers by steam and steam heat, sub- 'stantiallyas the same are'described' 2. The perforated revolving cylinder E,

in combinationwith the slide frame 6 and slide ways pwhennsed for dusting feathers and cleansing and" drying the same by" steam and steam heat substantially as the same are described.

3. Thercombination of the shifting frame B,with the shaft a andshifting end D, and

cylinder E when usediin the process of cleansing featherssubstantially as the same are described. p H V a In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the city of'Ne w York, this sixth day of December, 'one fthousand' eight hundred and thirty-nineyin the presence of the witnesses signing hereto. 1

ROB-ERTBENJAMIN. LEWIS. U V

Witnesses: a V W. JAY ,HASKETT, J OHN CoorER. a 

